On July 2, 2007, President George Bush commuted the 30 month prison sentence of Lewis “Scooter” Libby on charges of perjury and obstructing government justice. (Copy of the commutation order)

I’m not going to recount the entire case, though it’s interesting. I think you can go to your favorite news site to recap if you desire.

This story demonstrates the importance of having friends with influence. If I get convicted of any crime or misdemeanor, there is no way for me to get out of serving my time. As with most other areas in life, you need to know the right people (or have the right amount of money) to get the things you want.

Some people are crying, “His sentence was only commuted, not pardoned. He’s still guilty of a federal crime. He’s going to loose his law license and serve probation.” Give me a break. Probation instead of serving 30 months in jail? I’d take that deal. Loss of income? Get real. He could write a book and make plenty of money back on the advance alone, not to mention the lecture circuit that Ronald Martin very accurate wrote about. “Libby will no doubt make a ton of dough on the lecture circuit thanks to Republican sycophants, and will dip his finger in the cesspool of ‘consulting’ fees.” Well said.

After the initial week of outrage following the commutation, there has hardly been a peep out of anyone. It’s a surprise that all the moral indignation in the air cleared so quickly.

Turns out that presidential pardons are not exactly uncommon. See the tally of pardons.

If you would like to get a federal pardon, here is a handy 12 step guide.